it doesn't take place. it's the economy, stupid. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. let's start with the very point -- it's the economy, stupid. everything i've seen in politics tells me this. we can argue issues every night, but i know from experience it's how people feel about their own circumstances, whether they're working or not, how prices are doing, interest rates, that determine whether they get to take the family out to dinner on friday, buy new shoes for the

kids, whether they get to go somewhere fun on vacation. in other words, how happy things are at home. right now the numbers are looking a bit better, the value of your house is probably heading upward. your 401(k) is probably doing better if you're retired, because the stock market is. you've got a better chance of finding and holding a job, because the unemployment rate has come down from where it was down to the mid 7s. so when somebody calls up to ask how you're doing, you're more likely to say, president obama is doing a better job on the economy, that's what's going on now. would it still be going on next november? we'll see. jim cramer will help us, he's the host of "mad money." and chairman of the dnc. there's strong indications the u.s. economy is on the upswing, gross domestic product rose 2.5% in the first quarter of 2013.

the deficit is projected to be down, down to 642, it was in the trillions. and that's nearly half of what it was what it was in 2010. the dow jones industrial average is finishing up 3%, consumer confidence is higher than it was ever since july of 2007. and home prices are up around 11% over the last year. that's the biggest increase in home prices in seven years. today the president emphasized that measuring the country's progress on the economy is about more than just the stock market, it's about how ordinary families are feeling. he made it clear the economy was picking up steam. let's watch him. >> over the past four and a half years, we've been fighting our way back from a financial crisis and an incredibly punishing recession. the good news is today our businesses have created 7 million new jobs over the past 38 months. the housing market is coming back. the stock market has rebounded. our deficits are shrinking. at the fastest pace in 50 years.

people's retirement savings are growing again. the rise of health care costs are slowing. the american auto industry is back. so we're seeing progress. and the economy starting to pick up steam. the gears are starting to turn again and we're getting some traction. >> let me get to jim cramer. your stuff, i was thinking the opening question is my favorite tonight, i hope you can answer it, the economy is getting better. the question is, will it be better come next november? >> yes. as a matter of fact, i think a lot of the things that you talked about at the top of the show, chris, about consumer confidence, house prices coming back, these are going to lead to more jobs in the fall, going to lead to more consumer spending. it's the beginning of what i think could be a good time and the jobs will start coming in the next six months. >> this has been a long testing difficult period for people. this has been a long, long slog now for years now. since the financial crisis. what does that do to the business cycle? is there still a business cycle

where you can say it's only going to last so long. enjoy it before the next recession. is there any way to measure how long the recovery that you say is going to get better, is going to stay bet centre. >> we still don't have any small business hiring to speak of. we don't have any large commercial real estate projects. those have to happen before i can say we've started the cycle. we're not as bad, it's not as tough as it's been. it can get better, but there are still many things that are not working for people. we are still seeing only okay retail sales. we are not seeing the job creation that we'd like. you mentioned that. but you know what, it does start to feel better now. it is better than it was, chris, and you can, the president has got it right. >> wets look at that. i want to you look at these numbers, congressman. the president's job approval on the economy specifically is ticking up. according to a recent "washington post"/abc poll, 48% say they approve of the job he's doing when it comes to the economy and jobs specifically.

up four points since last month. how does that translate? my sense is it's environmental. people feel better about their own lives, they can buy a few things for the family. they're more likely to like the party in power. like the president's party. >> well i agree with you, chris. thank you for having me on. look, home values are going up, and the deficit is going down. but there's still a middle class that feels squeezed. jim is right. we can do better. so our message to house republicans in the 2014 congressional elections is very simple. don't screw this up. we need to build on our progress and not engage in more partisanship. we need to push solutions, instead of ideology. so as long as house republicans make the decision that they will no longer obstruct economic progress, that they'll choose progress rather than partisanship. things can get even better than they are now. >> chairman of the campaign for the democrats, you won the

majority to pick up the 17 seats, to get the full majority in the house. jim, this is a question, i don't know if we talked about it whee we bumped into each other in prooek, i look at the numbers, the low interest rates, you can get money if you got a good project. you got a public employment project, the number of people working for the government is going down. the number of people skilled out there out of work. why doesn't this administration do something big, why don't we rebuild this country to begin to catch up to asia, where they have the bullet trains and europe where they have the really fast train. where they have the chunnel going under the english channel, where in germany, berlin, it's a modern city, you would think they won the war. they've got civil engineering on bridges which is beautiful. they've got trains that are spectacular, they've got a new subway system. why can't we compete with old europe and new asia in the kind

of structure we build for our economy? >> well, chris -- remember when i ike did it, he had the support of the democrats. the democrats were in favor of the interstate highway system. it was amazing, the more republicans gave resistance, his own party. i don't think the president can go to his own party and do something big, when -- >> jim, shove it at them, let the republicans know the biggest no in history. let them be the no party. but the president is the building party. i want to go back to steve israel. the trouble is you're for immigration reform. it's not one issue that grabs the whole country's attention and says we're going to rebuild this country and look like the rest of the world again, instead of falling behind. why doesn't have the president have a big bill like this? why don't we call it the bottom bill. >> well, he's tried. >> give me the number of the bill. >> let me ask you --

>> i don't see it. >> if republicans, only a few dozen republicans were willing to vote for a hurricane recovery bill to rebuild homes and businesses that were devastated, in superstorm sandy, they couldn't even bring themselves to rebuild homes and businesses that were destroyed by a storm. what makes you think that they're going to be willing to make the bold and big investments that we should be making in rebuilding 153,000 bridges falling apart. >> i'll give you my answer to that, ever since harry truman, of the democratic party stood for health care and got votes on it people said we finally got it under obama. you can promise things, urge things, fight for things and not win. a lot of people fought for civil rights, they didn't get it until '64, but they fought for it. why can't the democratic party stand for jobs at least. let the other party say no. you can have the jobs party against the no party? why are you so squeamish about

this. gee whiz excuses. >> $4 trillion right now in bridges and tunnels that every other country in the world would love to be able to put to work. why not propose $4 trillion. interest rates are real low, our country is the most solvent country on earth. you're right, why don't we try it. >> jim cramer wlarks a great man you are. thank you so much. 6:00 on cnbc and u.s. congressman steve israel has done a great job for the democrats. coming up, he's back, mitt romney speaking out against president obama talking about hitting the campaign trail for republicans. my secret suspicion -- i think he's harboring a secret plan. talk about conspiracies to go at it again. he got close. plus bait and switch, a tried-and-true trick loved by the right. remember how they used it to get us into iraq. michele bachmann has elevated it to an art form. >> cover-up. you can get the tactical will

live on bait and switch. as long as batchman is around. and can a politician overcome being turned into a punchline? the question facing texas governor rick perry and one of dan quayle's advisers out there, still around, had advice for perry tonight on the side show. and bait-and-switch number and how you can see right through it. i want to treat more dogs. ♪ our business needs more cases. [ male announcer ] where do you want to take your business? i need help selling art. [ male announcer ] from broadband to web hosting to mobile apps, small business solutions from at&t have the security you need to get you there. call us. we can show you how at&t solutions can help you do what you do... even better. ♪ i did? when visa signature asked everybody what upgraded experiences really mattered... you suggested luxury car service instead of "strength training with patrick willis."

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welcome back to "hardball," the big question, has anyone been missing mitt romney. it's been six months since he dropped from the public eye, but failed presidential candidate mitt romney resurfaced, speaking to "the wall street journal" in advance of a planned comeback of sorts. the journal reports that mr. romney said in an interview he plans to reemerge in ways that will help reshape the national priorities. he plans to welcome 200 friends and supporters to a three-day summit next week that he will

host at a utah mountain resort. i think it's park city. he's considering writing a book and a series of opinion pieces. and he has plans to campaign for republican candidates in 2014. what sounds as if romney wants back into politics in some way, but does the party and its future candidates want romney as part of their path to victory? john braybender is a republican skutant who ran rick santorum's presidential campaign last year and david corn is a washington bureau chief for "mother jones." we haven't had candidates running. >> it's getting harder and harder in a tv aej, it's hard to come back and say give me another shot. john, is there any chance that romney is peek-a-booing his way back to a run? >> the only thing i could see him running for is u.s. senate in michigan. but let's remember, romney has

run four times, has lost three of those. >> the other problem is he has no ideological base. so i don't see how he re-enter a and i almost feel sorry for him. he sounds like somebody coming out of retirement and he's not sure of going on a fishing trip or to build the backyard deck. >> this could be bipartisan, this phenomenon, because of so much exposure you get. even john kerry, i don't want to brag, he seems to be doing a super job as secretary of state. >> but nobody thinks of him coming back in 2016. so is that something that's in the water, there's so much exposure, you can't come back from a defeat in a general election. >> i think that's probably true in our 24/7 tweet every moment world that we live in. >> but romney in particular, he wasn't much liked by the people who voted for him the first time. in the last six months, how

often have you heard anybody say huh, i wonder what mitt romney thinks of this. he was kind of a place-holding candidate. >> his wife has probably been thinking of it every hour. >> yesterday. >> she got out there and started blasting the obama administration saying there's no trust because of the irs scandal. i'm waiting to see their tax returns. they can talk about being bitter and writing a book. ultimately it doesn't matter much and won't affect the business year as he goes forward with rick santorum and everybody else. >> he is still banging away at obama, the extraordinary disappointment of the president's second term is where the opportunity was greatest. he has proposed the least. he continues to campaign as if there's another election. and there isn't. >> byron york, i like reading this guy in the "washington examiner." he wrote, a nice shopper. he anyway, wisconsin governor scott walker, his new guide for

2016. he's got conservatives buzzing. talk to iowa politicos who supported mitt romney around the last time. then talk to politicos who support anybody but romney and ask what they think about walker. you'll hear a lot of positive things from both sides, those who liked romney and didn't. here's the thing that impresses republicans looking for a candidate, scott walker has done things. as part of the gubernatorial faction in the 2016 field the list includes christie and jindal. walker not only has executive experience, he's used it to achieve a goal. conservatives have proposed to break the hold on government. ed schultz fought that fight from our network all the way through. i think scott walker might be in your party, the bridge between the chris christies seen as too moderate and the people on the other side, ted cruzs, he is a governor and. >> byron gets stories no one else does. >> what i look at is

all of a sudden you're off to the races. i think a lot of these other people you mentioned are going to have trouble playing in iowa. >> let me go back to you on that, david. from the other point of view, progressive point of view. i don't think anybody going to beat hillary in the current environment, the economy. nobody is going to beat hillary i don't think. she's not going to have to take the heat for the economy, where she can benefit from the clinton economy from the '90s. she's got a lot of horses going for her politically. if they're going to put together a candidate who will get at least 45%, 47% of the vote and not get blown away, scott walker is the kind of candidate who can do it or rubio. >> two words about scott walker. rick perry. or sarah palin. these are both governors touted as the wonderful candidates once upon time. until you get out there and start mixing it up, there's no way of knowing. scott walker, you know, had this very --

>> are you serious? >> -- hard fight in wisconsin. >> are you serious? do you expect me to buy that? do you really think he's the same intellectually as the other two candidates? >> what i'm saying, listen, what i'm saying is, until someone gets out there on a national stage, i mean, people were writing columns going on and on about how rick perry was going to waltz in and walk away with the nomination in iowa and every place else. i mean, you remember those columns, chris. >> i know, and i know it was premature because both were not ready for primetime. scott walker has been through the fights with schultz and the labor unions. i've gotten a good look at the guys. i don't think he's a lightweight. >> i'm not saying he's a lightweight. that's a long way to go from being a competitive national candidate. i'm not sure iowa is the be all and end all. >> you're reminding me more and more of jack germond in the old days. the politico guy who says, well, you know, it's way early there, martin, it's too early to make these judgments. you know, gee, you're getting old, my friend. i mean, go ahead. >> here's what i would say. look, i had a front-row seat for

all the republican primary presidential race last time. i saw the herman cains come and go, the michele bachmanns and even perry. actually i think scott walker is much more credible and brings a lot more to the table probably than they did, and i think he has a much better chance of doing well than they did. >> what about the guy we like around here, christie? too far left for the party? >> i'm not convinced he's going to run. number one. i just truly am not. i'm going to get on the record, i'm not convinced hillary clinton runs anymore. i said a month ago she was. i'm saying here on the record, i'm not convinced she does. >> where's the betting window? a lot of people like to call -- >> i'm assuming -- >> i know a lot of people would like to get a piece of that. >> this is not my republican talking points. i'm just telling you, i think that she's got some more problems. >> what do you mean problems? >> i know you think this benghazi thing is nothing. >> not benghazi. >> i'm just telling you. >> you know what, if there is an issue there, she'll run to beat it. because the one thing she won't do is run away from it. >> we've seen the clintons

overcome a lot more than this benghazi non-scandal. i agree with john, though, i'm not sure she's made up her mind to run yet. there's no way of knowing. it won't be because of benghazi. >> all you have to do if you're >> thank you, john braybender and john corn. up next, can a politician ever come back after being a punchline. rick perry, oops! they say never say the word oops in the operating room. is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. but i feel skinnier, you know?

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ha! back to "hardball." now to the sideshow. what a doozy we have tonight. think about to the 2012 gop primary, the one candidate that might fit the description, politician turned punch line. it's texas governor rick perry sealing the deal with one word in that debate. oops. well, the "l.a. times" turned to history to try to answer the question, could perry be texas' comeback kid?

they zeroed in on dan quayle who had his share of embarrassing home moments in his electoral career like what he said in 1988 about the holocaust. >> it was an obscene period in our nation's history. it is something that we must study. no, not our nation's. but if world war ii, i mean, we all lived in this century. i didn't live in this century, but in this century's history. it is a point of history that this nation, our nation, understands. we did not have, matter of fact, we fought hitlerism. >> reminds me of one of those beauty contests, people that shouldn't be going for anything. anyway, the "l.a. times" asked a former aide to dan quayle about the future of perry. it's david beckwith, an austin communications consultant who

spent four years in the white house working with vice president dan quayle. he considers himself an expert on the difficulties of a politician facing punchline. once it happens, he said, it's almost impossible to reverse. next, greetings from joe biden. the vice president on a trip through south america right now making stops in brazil, colombia, trinidad, and tobago. the white house posted a check-in video from his visit to a flower farm down in colombia, one that exports more than half of its output to the u.s. biden had advice for married men everywhere. >> my wife is extremely partial to flowers, and roses are her favorite. so my advice to all of you married men, no matter how long you've been married, continue to court your wife if you know what's good for you. finally, michigan governor, republican governor rick snyder tries his hand at outreach for female voters. "detroit free press" reporter kathy gray tweeted a picture of pro-snyder pictures from a

conference yesterday. a play on marshmallow peeps from easter with the words "i'm a rick chick." coming up next, your business, with jmpl j. ramberg. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating.

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how flight car is turning the rental car industry on its head, that's coming up next on "your business."